Putin, Russia’s eternal president, making Syria the starting point for his future vision – Analyst
Washington – North-Press Agency
Hadeel Oueiss
The researcher and political analyst Theodor Karasik said on Saturday that amending the Russian constitution would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain in power for many years, through which he aims to make Russia an influential country, beginning with Syria.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a constitutional amendment allowing him to run for two future presidential terms, that is, until the year 2036, at which he will be more than 83 years old.
In an interview with North-Press, Theodore Karasik stated that the focus of Putin's vision of what Russia should be in the coming years in which Putin will remain as leader, is centered on moving Russia from a country with weak and marginal capabilities in the Middle East to a country that will have the largest impact in the region.
According to Putin, Syria is the starting point of his project, "It is necessary to achieve a complete victory [in Syria] to move forward with more Russian influence in the Middle East, with the isolationist orientations of the U.S. and the inability of another power in the region, such as Turkey, to counter the Russian presence or stand as an opponent to Putin's ambitions," Karasik said.
He added that many of the interventions of the countries in the Middle East end with the bankruptcy of the intervening country or its sinking into crises, while in Putin's Russia, intervention in the Middle East since the intervention in Syria has brought Russia even more influence, diplomatic relations, intelligence, and economic benefits, whether through controlling strategic regions and resources or engaging in arms deals.
According to the political analyst, Putin wants to be "the leader who is rewriting the history of Russia through a new era in which Russia is moving towards greater global influence starting from the Middle East and winning in Syria.”
In light of his approval of the constitutional amendment, Putin said that, "Russia needs a strong leader who possesses a major geopolitical vision in times of crises." Putin likened Russia's challenges to what the U.S. faced in World War II, which prompted the Americans at that time to elect President Franklin D. Roosevelt for four successive presidential terms.
The new constitutional amendment in Russia means that Putin will not leave power soon: "Consequently, we will see the Russian strategies for Syria, Libya and the Middle East become bolder and more entrenched in terms of establishing Russian power and dealing with opponents without fear of political crises and the possibility of internal fluctuations," according to Theodore Karasik.
Last January, Putin declared that he did not like the Soviet Union's situation in the 1980s, where Soviet leaders remained in power until they died in their offices, but this week he paved the way for his stay in power for a period that exceeds the rule of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.